Monitoring Transaction Requests Using a Policy Engine Within a Storage Drive Driver to Change Power Capability and Latency Settings for a Storage Drive

1. A memory storage device having instructions, that when executed in a computing platform, cause it to perform a method, comprising: monitoring, by a policy engine within a storage drive driver, storage drive access demand to determine if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the driver for a sufficient amount of time; if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the sufficient amount of time, then changing priority settings for a drive and reducing power supplied to the drive using at least one register to be used to increase platform latency for an exposed operating system power state; detecting a storage drive transaction request; determining that the storage drive transaction request is a media access request for media stored on the drive; increasing a power capability for the drive; and decreasing a latency setting for the drive.

2. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising increasing latency tolerance for the drive if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the sufficient amount of time.

3. The storage device of claim 2 , wherein the reducing power and increasing latency tolerance is initiated by the policy engine running in operating system space for the platform.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein increasing latency tolerance for the drive comprises setting a latency control register state.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the storage drive is controlled through a platform BIOS utility.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein monitoring comprises monitoring for a first amount of time and reducing the drive power to a first power state if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the first amount of time.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein monitoring comprises monitoring for additional time if transaction requests are not being submitted for the first amount of time and then reducing the drive power state to a second power state if access requests are not submitted for the additional time, the second power state resulting in less power consumption than the first power state.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the second power state encompasses reducing power to a controller to the drive.

9. The device of claim 6 , comprising increasing drive latency to a first level if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the first amount of time.

10. The device of claim 9 , comprising increasing drive latency to a second level if access requests are not submitted for the additional time, the second level being longer than the first level.

11. A computing apparatus, comprising: a storage drive and a storage drive driver to facilitate access to the storage drive; a voltage regulator to supply power to the storage drive; a policy engine, within the storage drive driver, to monitor the storage drive driver to determine if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the driver for a sufficient amount of time, wherein if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the sufficient amount of time, then the apparatus is configured to: change priority settings for the storage drive; reduce power being supplied to the storage drive, wherein at least one register is used to increase platform latency for an exposed operating system power state; detect a storage drive transaction request; determine that the storage drive transaction request is a media access request for media stored on the drive; increase a power capability for the drive; and decrease a latency setting for the drive.

12. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the policy engine is to increase latency tolerance for the storage drive if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the sufficient amount of time.

13. The computing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the policy engine increases latency tolerance for the drive by setting a latency control register state.

14. The computing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the policy engine increases latency tolerance for the drive by changing an operation system based power management state.

15. The computing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the policy engine increases latency tolerance for the drive by changing an Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) state through a BIOS ACPI feature.

16. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , comprising a platform BIOS utility for controlling the storage drive.

17. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the policy engine reduces storage drive power to a first power state if transaction access requests are not being submitted for a first amount of time.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the policy engine, if transaction requests are not being submitted for the first amount of time, is to reduce the drive power state to a second power state if access requests are not submitted for additional time beyond the first amount of time, the second power state resulting in less power consumption than the first power state.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the second power state encompasses reducing power to a controller for the drive.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the policy engine is to increase drive latency to a first level if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the first amount of time.

21. The computing apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the policy engine is to increase the drive latency to a second level if access requests are not submitted for the additional time, the second level being longer than the first level.

22. An apparatus, computing: a storage drive; a voltage regulator to supply power to the storage drive; a processor coupled to the storage drive, the processor to execute a storage driver for the storage drive; and a policy engine, within the storage drive driver, to control power and latency states for the storage drive independent of a separate power management system implemented for the processor, wherein the policy engine is configured to monitor the storage drive driver to determine if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the driver for a sufficient amount of time, wherein if transaction access requests are not being submitted for the sufficient amount of time, then the apparatus is configured to: change priority settings for the storage drive; reduce power being supplied to the storage drive, wherein at least one register is used to increase platform latency for an exposed operating system power state; detect a storage drive transaction request; determine that the storage drive transaction request is a media access request for media stored on the drive; increase a power capability for the drive; and decrease a latency setting for the drive.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the processor executes an operating system that implements the separate power management system.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the separate power management system is the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface system.